Apalutamide is approved for the treatment and management of metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, or mCSPC, and non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or nmCRPC. Prostate cancer is met with a formidable opponent, Apalutamide. In this dynamic duo, we explore how this therapeutic drug proves to be a winning combination in the battle against prostate cancer.
Nonmetastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (nmCRPC):
The SPARTAN clinical trial (NCT01946204) for nmCRPC studied how effective the medicine Apalutamide was at increasing the time before prostate cancer had progressed to other organs of the body, or the time before death occurred. Those who were in the apalutamide group had a median metastasis-free survival (MFS) of 24.3 months longer before cancer progressed to other organs of the body or before death occurred when compared to the placebo group.
The median metastasis-free survival (MFS) for nmCRPC was:
- 40.5 months in the apalutamide group
- 16.2 months in the placebo group
- This means that the patients in apalutamide group lived a median of 24.3 months longer without advancing to metastasis or death (40.5 -16.2= 24.3 months).
Metastatic, Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (mCSPC):
The TITAN clinical trial (NCT02489318) for mCSPC evaluated whether the addition of apalutamide to hormone therapy (also known as androgen-deprivation therapy or ADT) would increase radiographic PFS and also increase overall survival (OS) when compared with placebo+ADT. Radiographic PFS is the length of time before imaging shows cancer has spread or death occurs.
Radiographic progression–free survival (PFS): The outcomes of the TITAN trial demonstrate that at 24 months the percentage of mCSPC patients with radiographic PFS was:
- 68.2% in the apalutamide plus ADT group
- 47.5% in the placebo plus ADT group
- This means the apalutamide plus ADT group had 20.7% more patients who reached 24 months without radiographic progression of their cancer (68.2%-47.5%=20.7%)’
Overall survival (OS): The effectiveness of apalutamide on mCSPC was also measured by OS in each group after 24 months:
- 82.4% in the apalutamide plus ADT group were still alive
- 73.5% in the placebo plus ADT group were still alive
- This means that after 24 months more patients were surviving in the apalutamide plus ADT group compared to the placebo plus ADT group.
In conclusion, the partnership between prostate cancer and Apalutamide emerges as a truly winning combination in the realm of oncology. Apalutamide`s ability to not only extend survival rates but also enhance the quality of life (QoL) signifies a transformative approach to treatment. Apalutamide is reshaping the narrative of prostate cancer care, providing a winning formula for improved outcomes and a brighter future for patients.
References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-023-02492-8
